A new access road which will pave the way for multi-million pound development, new jobs and relieve town centre congestion has reached another milestone.
Staffordshire County Council has now started the process of buying land along the Stafford Western Access Route, which will link the A518 Newport Road and the A34 Foregate Street north of the town centre. The new road will enable thousands of homes to be built and the delivery of the £500 million Stafford Gateway development. It will also ease congestion in the town centre, particularly around the railway station as it prepares for HS2 connection. The process of purchasing all sections of land could take up to 18 months.
The new road will be built on land between Martin Drive, Doxey Road and Foregate Street and is expected to be completed in 2021. Work to improve the Foregate Street and Browning Street junctions was completed last month. Other preparatory work for the road has included a flood compensation scheme at Doxey Marshes, which recently picked up an award from the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Staffordshire County Council’s economic growth leader Mark Winnington said: “This is another important milestone for the western access route project and when completed will mean we can begin construction on those sections. We can see how important this road is in the delivery of future regeneration in Stafford, particularly with the announcement last week of the £500 million Gateway scheme, which will transform the area around the station. It will also lead to the development of hundreds of much-needed homes in the county town and ease congestion around the station. We’re looking forward to starting the main construction towards the end next year.”
People can view plans and find out more at: bit.ly/2iE7fhA